Enercare Home Services

My hot water tank (non-rental) had started leaking from the bottom one morning, and despite turning the tank shutoff valve clockwise all the way, I was unable to stop the flow of water from entering my faulty hot water tank. As such, I had to shut off the main water valve to prevent further leakage from my hot water tank, which also meant no water usage (hot or cold) for the entire house.

Due to the urgency of the situation, I decided to use Enercare because a) I was previously their hot water tank rental customer, b) they offered same day service, and c) they had advertised on their website that for $79, they will send a licensed plumber for a diagnosis/quote, and their plumbers will arrive with the parts they’ll likely need to finish the job.

One of the things that I did not like about Enercare is that their Customer Representatives will exploit the opportunity during a time of crisis, to pressure a customer into signing up onto their “Protection Plans” for 1 year, at an inflated price that differs from their website.

For example, my Customer Representative attempted to pressure me into agreeing to a one-time cost of $178 plus a monthly rate of $16.49 in order for her to send a licensed plumber to my house.

After repeatedly referencing the standard $79 diagnosis/quote option on their website, I was finally able to schedule a technician visit within a 4-hour window in the same afternoon.

The technician that came to my house was named Alan Cotton, and he did arrive within the 4-hour appointment window.

Based upon his diagnosis, he recommended repairing my existing hot water tank shutoff valve (Globe Type) by replacing the valve stem cartridge. I agreed to the cost, and he proceeded to repair the valve within 15 minutes, which allowed me to turn on the main water valve to the house, while shutting off water to my faulty hot water tank.

While I appreciated the “quick” fix by Alan, I do wonder if it was the “proper” fix in hindsight because Direct Energy (now known as Enercare) had previously performed a consultation at my house, and had recommended that the existing hot water tank shutoff valve (Globe Type) be replaced completely with a Ball-Type shutoff valve instead. In fact, another HVAC installer that I have since consulted with, also made the same recommendation that a Ball-Type shutoff valve should have been installed instead, since they are more reliable than the Globe Type valves.

Overall, I would only recommend Enercare if you are an existing customer of their “Protection Plans”, or if you are unable to obtain availability from other local plumbers for same day service.